130: Chapter 123: It Starts with the Death of the Boss!

130: Chapter 123: It Starts with the Death of the Boss!

“Daddy, where are we going?”

On the boat, the usually playful Ghost Doll showed rare signs of worry, hugging his lotus root-like arms and frowning adorably like a steamed bun as he glared at the animated corpses following beneath the ship.

“We’re looking for someone, to ask some questions…” Chen Qing soothed Ghost Doll, smiling warmly, “Besides, haven’t you always complained about daddy leaving you behind?

Now that I’ve brought you along, isn’t it good?”

Ghost Doll looked down, not sure what to say; truthfully, he had felt quite content staying in Lyuzhou lately.

“Eh…

your expression seems rather unwilling.” Chen Qing squinted at him, teasingly, “What’s the matter?

Can’t stand leaving that busty lady in Lyuzhou?”

“Dad…

what are you talking about?” Ghost Doll’s face turned bright red, and for the first time, he bared his teeth angrily at Chen Qing.

However, in his mind’s eye, there was always the image of that woman with the wheat-colored skin, always lounging around lazily.

“Oh, what a cute little baby, come here, let sister give you a hug.”

“Oh, to be so young, yet that little guy down there is quite big, isn’t it?

What have you been eating to grow like that?

Don’t be shy, come, let sister touch it…

oh my, it’s even standing up!”

That shameless woman!

Ghost Doll huffed, “I…

I don’t like her at all!!”

“Is that so?” Chen Qing looked at Ghost Doll’s indignant demeanor and couldn’t help but find it amusing.

Ever since the provisional decree, Ghost Doll had been out of sorts, always half-asleep, and had been teased by Murong Yunji several times.

If it were anyone else, Ghost Doll would have lost his temper by now; so why was it that now he only dared to curse her behind her back?

Chen Qing chuckled.

Men, sometimes they’re just insincere…

“Daddy has heard that Murong Yunji especially liked that white-robed young general who was so prestigious in Lyuzhou City, thinking of him day and night, searching for many days in Lyuzhou.”

“Really?” Ghost Doll, with his back turned, pricked up his ears and murmured, “But…

but I see her…

often going to chat with Xu Hu…

and saying that Xu Hu is very manly…”

“Hahaha!” Chen Qing burst into laughter, “Young widows like tough guys, it’s pretty normal.”

“Tough…

tough guys?” Ghost Doll looked at Chen Qing blankly, “Is someone like Xu Hu considered a tough guy?

Do women…

all like that kind of thing?”

Chen Qing nodded looking ahead, “Ninety percent of women like that sort of thing…”

“I see…” Ghost Doll pondered thoughtfully.

“Here it comes!” Chen Qing stated as they approached, and Ghost Doll jolted, immediately tensing up, vigilantly watching ahead.

Ever since he came from the human world, he hardly ever encountered such situations, the kind…

that sent chills down his spine!

That was a huge military ship.

If Murong Yunji and the others were here, they would have recognized it as Weichi Feihong’s ship, but it now looked completely different.

The ship was covered in bloodstains and a layer of black bone armor that, upon closer inspection, was writhing.

Following it to the source, one could see hundreds of black animated corpses on the deck, their bodies completely deformed, ready to merge into that bone armor at any moment, crawling within it, creating an eerie scene.

Seeing this, Chen Qing’s mind rapidly processed the information.

The Seventh Corpse Form, Black Tide!

So, it was her!!

“You shouldn’t have come…”

The deep voice came from within the ship, barely human anymore, but Chen Qing could still faintly make out the cadence of the once boastful man.

“General Weichi…” Chen Qing greeted with a smile, bowing respectfully.

The other side was silent.

From within the dark fog, a tall figure emerged, Weichi Feihong, his looks drastically altered, the rotting muscles on his face gone, replaced with a kind of bronze flesh that adhered to his face, rendering a metallic, chilling sensation.

He was enveloped in the black liquid-like substance from the ship, forming an armor-like shape that wriggled occasionally, revealing…

the armor was alive!

“How could I not come?” Chen Qing said, smiling, “I should thank you, General, for your involvement, otherwise the situation in Jiangnan wouldn’t be as favorable as it is now.”

In fact, Chen Qing had sensed it days ago; the frequency of the release of animated corpses by the Nine Heavens Mirror Valley had significantly reduced.

His Tiger Guard Army’s rescue operations were now in the vicinity of Baishui County, having saved more than eight county towns along the way, with nearly a hundred thousand people rescued.

And during these rescue operations, even with efforts to avoid the animated corpses, killing them was unavoidable.

The number of animated corpses killed was at least a hundred thousand by now, but still, no new corpses had come ashore, which was inconsistent with the patterns of the Nine Heavens Mirror Valley.

Chen Qing immediately guessed that there must be internal reasons, and the most suspicious was Weichi Feihong, who was not controlled by the poisonous insects!

Weichi Feighong stared coldly at Chen Qing, his eyes filled with complex human emotions.

Seeing this, Chen Qing immediately smiled.

As expected…

this guy had chosen his side from the start!

He thought it was too coincidental that he could escape from the West Sea, withstand the poisonous insects for so long, and target Ninth Elder Shen so specifically.

“You know…

quite a lot!” Weichi Feihong said in a low voice, “Did you know my true nature all along?”

“Not exactly…” Chen Qing shook his head honestly, “Before you bit Old Jiu, I had no clue about your situation.

It was only after the recent aberrations that I realized you had sided with the entity within the array!”

“Surprised?” Weichi Feihong scoffed.

“Not surprised…” Chen Qing shook his head, “Many who witness its power would submit; it’s an instinct.

Your decision is what most humans would make!”

Weichi Feihong paused, clearly not expecting Chen Qing to respond that way.

“Do you…

know about its power?”

“I know a bit…”

“Then you should know that humans…

can never win!” Weichi Feihong gasped.

“So the general chose to compromise.” Chen Qing spoke softly, “If I’m not mistaken, the one who gave you power promised you they would treat the Human Race well, right?”

Weichi Feihong was silent.

“Do you believe that?”

“If I don’t believe…

what can I do?” Weichi Feihong gave a wry smile: “Do I have a choice?”

“Of course, you have a choice…

otherwise General Weichi wouldn’t have kept it a secret and come to find me, right?”

“How do you know that I kept it a secret from it?” Weichi Feihong frowned.

Chen Qing looked up at the sky that seemed forever in daylight and said, “This Nine Heavens Mirror Valley has nine inner and outer layers.

The further inside a layer you go, the more ferocious the sealed beings are, and in the innermost layer, nine exceptionally ferocious creatures are sealed.

These nine creatures must not leave the Array lightly, or they would be targeted.

The one you pledge loyalty to corresponds to the Mystic Water Mirror within the Array.

It must rest once every seven days, and naturally, you are to protect it during this time.

This is the reason it chose you.”

Weichi Feihong: “….”

“You choosing this time to see me means you don’t want it to know about our conversation.”

Weichi Feihong looked at Chen Qing and after a long pause finally took a deep breath and said, “You really do know quite a lot.

It seems that leaving Ninth Elder Shen in your care was the right choice.”

Chen Qing’s face twitched slightly, feeling a bit ashamed.

If the other party knew that Ninth Elder Shen had already lost control, he wondered if they would still hold him in such high regard.

“Speak, what do you need from me?”

“I need your cover!”

“Cover?”

“Yes!” Chen Qing nodded: “Lyuzhou is already back on track, but other prefectures and counties aren’t yet.

Besides Nanming Prefecture and Nanyang, the rest of Jiangnan still lacks any resistance.

I must secure the key locations of those states before the situation becomes utterly hopeless!”

“Securing those locations is just a pretense, your real intention is to take over those places, isn’t it?” Weichi Feihong scoffed, but then questioned with confusion: “Can you even leave Lyuzhou?”

“I can…” Chen Qing nodded: “But I need the general’s cover!”

“Me, cover for you?” Weichi Feihong was startled, then suddenly realized something: “You want to…”

“Ah, I would be grateful if the general could make the introduction!” Chen Qing said with a bow: “I would like to have a talk with the one behind the scenes working with you!”

——————————————

Meanwhile, Wang Ye arrived at Nanyang City on time with the token in hand the following noon.

The Shen Family, having received news earlier, had been waiting at the docks for some time.

Aside from those who had gone out—Second Elder Shen, Ninth Elder Shen, and Chief of Staff of the Ministry of War, Old Liu—the remaining members were all present.

Wang Ye looked from a distance at the few individuals on the pier, then noticed the mountainous pile of undead creatures outside Nanyang City and nodded inwardly.

The Shen Family, renowned for a thousand years, was not lightly pressured by the Siao Family who had once united the land under one rule.

It took Liu Yu’s mediation to bring Jiangnan under allegiance, indeed they held some power in their hands.

Millions of undead were eradicated outside this city, weren’t they?

Being able to fend off millions with just arrays, truly worthy of a thousand-year-old Sorcerer Family!

“Is this the honorable Minister Wang Ye of the Judicial Court?” A rosy-cheeked elder bellowed from afar, full of vigor, believable as a warrior if someone claimed it.

Wang Ye recognized him; that was none other than the current Family Head of the Shen Family: Shen Yixin!

“The junior, Wang Ye, pays his respects to the elders of the Shen Family!”

“Minister Wang is too courteous!” Shen Yixin approached with enthusiasm, helping Wang Ye up, who in turn sensed the other’s spiritual power in secret.

Shen Yinian had said his token was recognized by all Shen Family members but the first to notice it would surely be Shen Yixin.

If he was the first to approach and interact with you using spiritual power, it meant that the current Old Liu was still the Old Liu from before.

“Big Brother…

gave you the token?” The words of Shen Yixin echoed inside Wang Ye’s mind.

Spiritual speech!

Wang Ye’s pupils constricted, realizing that this Sixth Elda Shen who became the Family Head of the Shen Family was truly no ordinary person, to construct spiritual speech in his own spirit sea without his consent.

Did this also mean that he could peer into his emotions at any time?

“Yes…” Wang Ye’s expression remained unchanged as he vibrated his spirit sea to respond secretly.

“Calm your mind, don’t move…” Shen Yixin’s spiritual power briefly pulsed at the token on Wang Ye’s waist, and Wang Ye felt a clear transmission of information being intercepted by Shen Yixin from that token.

“I see…

Second Brother actually encountered trouble in Lyuzhou, and Fifth Brother sent you to consult with me about the ancestors?”

Wang Ye: “….”

It seemed he had underestimated the Minister of War after all, yet it made sense; why would they completely trust him to deliver the message?

However, this was the first time he had seen such a technique that could directly transmit information through a token; the Shen Family…

was indeed something else.

“Fifth Brother’s right, Ninth…

cannot possibly be the ancestor!”

“Why?” Wang Ye’s mind stirred, and he promptly asked using spiritual speech.

“This matter…

goes back to the death of the eldest!”

Wang Ye: “…..”